Wednesday, March 30, 2005

March 30, 2005-- Terri Schiavo's Death SentenceEveryone is talking about it, so let me join the crowd. (Which is something I usually try not to do, hence I have never seen any of the Lord of the Rings movies, read or watched Harry Potter, or cheered for the New York Yankees...hate bandwagons.)

First, I want to send my condolences to anyone who knows Terri and is suffering as a result of her long murder. Her situation is a tragic one that we must all learn from and prevent from happening again.

Now, to the many issues at hand within this case.

Unfortunately, many people have forgotten one simple concept in this case: Terry Schiavo is a human being...a woman...a life...someone with a beating heart...working organs...a human. Too many judges and too many others in power, and too many others throughout the world, have forgotten this simple fact. Why is this concept hard to grasp? Or, do the people who fight for the "end of this case" need to forget that simple fact so they can live guilt free when she does succumb to the murder? Is it easier to think of her as a "case" and not a human? Is that how one can eat dinner with their own family...their own daughters...by neglecting to remember the fact that Terri is a person?

After that sad fact, we have to consider why we are here today? Why is there such a rush to yank her feeding tube out and let her starve? Pope John Paul II is receiving a feeding tube as we speak...why not yank it out? Yes, there have been 19 judges in 11 courts who have "looked at" this case over the past seven years. However, only once, seven years ago, has this case been thoroughly examined. ONCE. Since then, Terri Schiavo's desperate parents have been fighting to keep her alive and try to get her the necessary rehab to bring her back to a higher standard of living. Then, once the feeding tube was removed nearly two weeks ago, the US Congress fought to pass a law to allow the federal courts to open the files, testimonies, and hold a "di novo" review...a complete, thorough, head to toe look at everything in and around Terri Schiavo's case.
What did Judge George Greer and his colleagues do? Thumb their nose at the US Congress and the President of the United States by taking less than 13 hours from the passing of the law to write a rejection of the review. Greer forgot that TERRI IS A HUMAN BEING.

Terri's parents, siblings, and family counselors have been joined by Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, and even Jesse Jackson, in the fight. Governor Jeb Bush and President George W. Bush have fought hard within the law to help Terri Schiavo. However, an out-of-control judiciary has taken over the nation...and the liberal media and liberal leadership over the past 50 years has allowed and fought to allow this. The judiciary, legislative, and executive branches are supposed to be of SEPARATE BUT EQUAL powers...not the legislative and executive branches bowing before the mighty gavel and robe. Perhaps this is lesson one from Terri Schiavo.

Perhaps this is agenda item number one for America to fix once we recover from this situation.

For me, there are two very, very scary ideas that are coming out of this situation. First, the most heart-wrenching and sickening thought is that Terri Schiavo is NOT in a Permanent Vegetative State, a claim made by an accomplished neurologist and several nurses who have been treated Terri, and instead there is a woman, fully aware, trapped in a failing body as she starves to death. I am worried that because of the denied rehab that could have brought Terri back to a more prominent level of consciousness, she is mentally locked in a prison within her body. Can you imagine how scary that would be? How overwhelming that could be? To be trapped in that situation with a husband fighting to kill you off once and for all? To see your family weeping and praying at your bedside, the whole time you are fighting to tell you mom, "I love you, don't worry mom."? We do not know beyond a shadow of a doubt that she isn't in pain...that she isn't suffering...that she isn't fully aware of what is being done to her. We do not know. That is what Congress and the President wanted to accomplish on Palm Sunday: find out for sure before she is killed.

Now you might be one of those who whines that Congress and President Bush overstepped their bounds...they should not have gotten involved in this case because the federal government does not belong mettling in personal, private, state affairs. I believe that the involvement of Washington was because Bush and the Republicans saw the big picture...they saw the second thing that scares me about this sad situation...they saw the looming question that could haunt and destroy our country in the years to come. That dark question that none of the judges nor anyone else who is on the death-to-Terri side will, or can, answer is: Where does it stop?

Where does it stop?

If we allow Terri Schiavo to die like this, where will this type of medical "treatment" be stopped? Where and when will the limits be drawn? If we can take the word of an adulterous husband as proof positive of a wish to die, what kind of a Pandora's box is now open?

Perhaps this can open up a way to fix social security. Perhaps we can start killing off seniors who are in less-than-conscious states by cutting them off from food and hydration. Perhaps we can starve children with down syndrome? Where will it stop? Yes I am predicting a slippery slope, and you might scoff now. But, in 20 years, where will the murder of Terri Schiavo put us as a society?

Based on this case, someone who has serious Alzheimer's can be euthanized because they once said they wouldn't want to live that way. A mentally retarded individual can be euthanized because a legal guardian decides it is what is best. A severely mangled car accident victim can be killed because they would not want to live with the scars and injuries...according to a guardian.

Based on this case, a spouse with an obvious conflict of interest (i.e. a new common-law wife and two kids) can determine your medical treatment and decide to have you euthanized.

We are headed in a wrong direction. Terri Schiavo is not the first, and, unfortunately, won't be the last. However, her situation is the most crucial because it has become so well known. It is in the public forum, and we, as a society need to make some serious decisions. We do...and not heartless, humanless judges hiding behind a gavel and a bench.

There is so much more to this situation....too much. A woman is dying because her husband wants her to. She has not gone through the rehab she needs to see if she can recover. Her husband has left her to rot in her body and now wants her gone so he can continue his adulterous relationship. And, with her death, she will immediately be cremated and her ashes taken to Pennsylvania...just one more slap in the face and dagger to the heart of her family. Also, and more vile, the cremation will prevent anyone from knowing for sure how Terri fell into her condition...perhaps because Michael Schiavo has something to hide.

About Me...And This Blog Site...

My name is David A. Ebert, the oldest of two siblings produced by my parents, Leah and David G. Ebert. We are all Republicans, but I take it a toke or two...well, closer to 10 tokes...further than my parents,

I am very much a Right Wing Conservative. I am a Reagan Conservative. I believe Americans, in general, are smarter than elected officials in Washington, DC. We should be more in charge than the Government.

We, as individuals and families, should have more responsibility over our own, hard-earned money and not send more and more and more taxes to the out-of-touch politicians. I believe the government is there to serve us, and not us to serve them.

I believe in America's greatness and that, overall, we are the most generous, forgiving, intelligent, and genuinely decent country in the world. I also believe that we are the most powerful nation in the history of the world, but do not use that power to hold over the collective heads of other nations.

I believe that low taxes, intelligent spending of those tax revenues, strong initiatives on defense and education, and small government influence on the day-to-day lives of Americans are some of the most important ideals related to how the US should be operated.I believe in the freedoms granted by the US Constitution. I believe that judges should uphold and interpret the laws as written in the US Constitution, and not refer to any foreign legislation to make their historic decisions.

I believe the First Amendment, as well as the entire Bill of Rights, are the most important laws this world has ever seen.

I believe abortion is WRONG. I believe that homosexuality is WRONG. I believe that allowing anyone to publicly debate the possibility of lowering the age of consent, especially for young boys to consent to older men, is a tragedy of morality. I believe that organizations like NAMBLA should be publicly shunned and not given a platform to spew their harmful and dangerous rhetoric.

I believe there is a sad lacking in the ability of our nation to appreciate and accept self responsibility. We, as a nation, blame daddy, racism, sexism, classism, mommy, the mean teacher, the mean little league coach, the loud mouthed uncle, the financial status of the neighborhood in which we grew up in, and a million and one other reasons why we do not succeed. How often do we, as a nation, take the blame for our own mistakes? How often do you hear someone accept responsibility for their own mistakes? How often?

I am conservative. I am worried about the future of the country and the planet, especially if O-BOMB-A or Billary Clinton make it to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. I will start posting my fears, my hopes, my ideas as they all relate to news and politics. I hope to open some eyes and change some opinions with my writings. Most of all, I hope you will read my words and be inspired to find the truth...and not rely on Chris Matthews or Keith Olberman or Katie Couric or Matt Lauer for your opinions. I hope you will break the mold and do something unreal...unexpected...do something that O-BOMB-A and Billary are afraid of you doing...

Briefly About Me...

-2004 Graduate of Bluefield (VA) College
-1999 Graduate of Pocahontas High School
-Currently work as a House Parent in a children's group home
-Part-time professional wrestler
-Born in Chicago, huge Cubs, Bulls, and Bears supporter
-Huge Virginia Tech fan